The Guest Room Transformation  

The guest room was one of the first rooms I completed in my home. I wanted to decorate it with a more girly touch since most of my guests are my girlfriends! Check out the full transformation on the Guest Room tab of the House Tour.

Source: Guest Room

Hey Everyone!

I’m Alicia and thanks for visiting my blog! I want to share with you my journey of purchasing my first home and figuring out how to renovate as a single, twenty something girl on a tight budget. I was fortunate enough to have the most wonderful parents who taught me to always believe in myself. They told me I was capable of accomplishing anything I set my mind to so the thought of owning my first home as a single girl didn’t seem like an impossible task.

So here’s how it all began…I worked in Iowa for a few years post undergrad graduation. After a few years in Iowa, I  transferred jobs and moved back to my home state of Minnesota. I lived with my parents for almost two years to pay off some of my student loans and save money to buy a house.  I purchased my first single family home in my home town in 2014 for $320,000.

The home was built in 1964 and needed all the typical updates that are required when you purchase an older house.  I had thousands of ideas and pin boards of what I wanted my home to look like but the one thing that stood in my way was my minimal budget. Given I’m in my twenties and don’t have a ton of disposable income (thank you student loans),  I knew I needed to learn to do a lot on my own if I wanted to make my dream home a reality. One of the hardest parts of this journey was finding the time to work on the house while I had a full time job in Corporate America, attended school at night for my MBA and not to mention trying to maintain somewhat of a social life. Looking back on it now, I realized I had more strength within myself and support from family and friends that helped me through those insane six months.

There were plenty of times I asked myself why am I doing this  right now in my life?  I could have waited until I got married and then had the emotional and financial support of a spouse but I knew that wasn’t me.  I say that because one day I will be married and have kids of my own and I want my children to know that they too can do anything they set their minds to and don’t need to rely on anyone else. Definitely one of the most valuable lessons my parents taught me!

Through all the blood, sweat and tears (and trust me, there were a lot), I came out with an incredible sense of accomplishment.  My hope is to inspire and help other young women on a budget to succeed in creating their dream homes.   I’ll take you through room by room and share tips and tricks to get the most bang for your buck.

Here’s to supporting other women to go out and make their dreams come true! Cheers!